The Neighborhood (Twin Estates #2)(3)

Jesus, I'm brooding in the woods and hitting trees. When did I turn into this person?

For the first time since Katya had walked away from him, he stood outside of himself and looked in on the situation.

He'd sent her text messages. He'd sent flowers. He'd gone to her apartment once, only to be turned away by her rabid roommate. Nothing worked, Katya had completely frozen him out.

And I just let her.

That wasn't like him. Since when did Wulfric Stone ever accept no for an answer? Since when did he pout and sulk and whine? When did throwing temper tantrums in the middle of the woods become the norm?

He turned in a circle, searching for the way back to the trail. He was breathing fast, his mind racing at a million miles an hour. Since she'd walked away, he hadn't been acting like himself.

So of course nothing was working. She'd started to fall in love with him, she'd claimed. The man he'd been before she'd left. Brash and rude and ballsy and demanding. The kind of man who kicked down doors, and ignored anything he didn't like, and always got what he wanted.

As he started jogging through the underbrush, he laughed at himself. He couldn't believe he hadn't realized it sooner. This whole time, he'd been asking himself what she needed from him to make things right. What she would want him to do. He hadn't been asking the right questions, not at all.

What would Wulfric Stone do?





3


Liam “Eden” Edenhoff stared at his computer screen.

Holy shit. Goddammit. Holy shit.

Katya Tocci stared back at him. Only she didn't look like the Katya he knew. Not the sweet, semi-innocent, cake-baking, lovable goddess.

The girl on the computer was pouting her red lips at him while her bedroom eyes screamed “fuck me”. To say she looked transformed was an understatement. He'd never seen her in clothing like that, so sexy. It was strange. He'd seen her naked and in all sorts interesting positions, but somehow the tight shorts and crop top were almost more provocative.

She could turn heads when she was just slumming it in pajamas and hanging out at home. Sexified and wearing slutty makeup? Liam's mouth had gone dry, which made him nervous. If her picture was having this effect on him, what were all the other thousands of men on the Eros dating site thinking?

How many matches has she made? How many dudes has she anger-banged? No, she wouldn't do that. Shit, would she? Shit.

In the short time they'd been friends, Liam and Katya had gotten pretty close. He felt like he'd known her pretty well, could guess how she'd react to certain things. So to say he was shocked with how easily she'd cut him out of her life would be an understatement.

Yes, he'd done an awful thing. He'd lied and manipulated and just generally been a bastard. But still. Friends forgave each other, that's what they did. He considered Katya to be a very good friend. A best friend, even. It was killing him, not being able to see her and talk to her. How could she just let him go?

Of course, maybe it wasn't so simple. Clearly, the profile was in retaliation to what he and Wulfric Stone had done to her. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and apparently a woman who was manipulated into sleeping with two men at once could get furious enough to sleep with a lot of other men to get revenge.

Liam groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. What to do? He glanced at his phone. He hadn't spoken to Wulf since the day Katya had walked in on them talking about her. Since she'd discovered that they knew each other and had only been pretending they didn't.

Liam could admit it, Wulf was more decisive. Wulf was more likely to take action. He would want to know about Katya's profile, and he would want to do something about it. Would have ideas on what to do about it.

But Liam was competitive by nature. Both he and Wulf had started sleeping with Katya around the same time. It had turned into somewhat of a game, who could get her to do what. Then it had evolved into who could win her, and though it killed Liam to say it, Wulf had definitely been winning.

So if he called Wulf, and the other man came up with some great plan to make her see the light, it might only serve to make her see that Wulf was the one for her. And Liam refused to believe that. Katya was light and love and happiness. She deserved someone who would cherish those parts of her. Someone who would devote his life to making her smile. And he just knew Wulfric Stone wasn't that person.

No. No, I can do this on my own. I'm smart, I can figure out a way. I can do something. I don't need him, and neither does she.

Liam pushed up his sleeves and leaned forward again. Began typing on the keyboard. He may not have been as smart or as rich or as impressive as Wulf, but he had a couple tricks up his sleeve. He may have lost the first battle, but he wouldn't lose the war.

It's not over yet, angel cake.





4


“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Katya turned around at the sound of her roommate's voice.

Tori Bellows stood in the hallway, picking at her nail polish. It was six o'clock, but she was already in fishnets, tight shorts, and a cropped vest. Dressed for work at Liam's club. She had the body to pull it off, and the attitude to make sure people kept their hands to themselves.

“Of course, I already paid for my ticket,” Katya replied, turning back to the mirror and smoothing her hands over her outfit.

“You know what I mean. You're not proving anything, you know. Neither of them even call anymore. They have no clue you've gone on dates with half the men in San Francisco,” Tori was blunt. Katya winced, but wasn't mad. They were complete opposites and had been friends for years. Tori's rough edges worked well with Katya's soft tones. They balanced each other.